Firearm compensators reduce the felt recoil of a firearm. Compensators can also reduce the amount of motion of the muzzle or “muzzle rise” during firing, especially for handguns. Some compensators are attached to the end of a firearm's barrel such that the compensator extends away from the slide and frame. In such cases, the compensator may interfere with holstering the firearm. Some handgun compensators are formed by machining gas ports directly in the firearm's slide and barrel. However, in such cases the gas ports are placed between the shooter and the front sight, consequently, gasses escaping from the gas ports may interfere with the shooter's sight picture. Improvements are sought in compensator design to address these and other issues.